there will always be the hunted
by Turkish1
Summary: Avalon drops them in the middle of a game of life and death.
1. Chapter 1

Avalon Uncensored

…there will always be the hunted

For a moment the land that emerged from the mist appeared like skyscrapers and twisted super highway overpasses, but as the fog cleared they could see that this was not Manhattan. Instead the land was dry, rising steeply into hills that were often crowned with pine forests, and mountains topped with snow.

"For a moment I thought we were home," Elisa said as they made landfall.

"Perhaps, when we finish here, Avalon will see fit to send us back to Manhattan," Goliath said.

"What could Avalon want from us in such an empty land," Angela asked.

Bronx set up a low growl as a four legged creature darted over a nearby ridge, rifle shots calling after it.

"That's a wolf," Elisa said. "If we are in America then that is a protected species!"

"Then we have found our calling here, come!" Goliath cried.

"Your pelt is gonna look great in my foyer," the poacher said as he cornered the wolf. He aimed in when he heard roars from the darkened sky. Looking up a monster landed before him.

"Oh Jesus!" The man cried as Goliath snatched the rifle away from him and bent it into a clothes pin.

Nearby the others landed amongst the hunters who instantly panicked at the sight of the Gargoyles.

"Surely Avalon sent us here for more than this," Angela said as she snatched a portly child with a rifle that seemed oversized in his sausage like fingers. The other hunters were running, many were overweight and over or under aged like this child.

Elisa snatched the rifle from the kid's hands, "they're not carrying kid's toys."

Barking, Bronx chased the defeated foe into the tall bushes.

"Bronx, come back here," Elisa cried, running after the great garbeast. That was when a laser blast erupted from the tangled branches. The shot struck at Elisa's feet, causing her to tumble.

"Elisa," Angela cried and charged after her friend as laser bolts sailed at her. She snatched up the human detective, grabbed a tree branch and threw herself into flight. It looked as if she was going to get away when a bolt struck her in the forehead; the last thing Angela saw was a bright light.

Angela dropped Elisa who crashed through the canopy of a trees, Angela herself was carried by the evening breezes, filling her wings, taking her high to silhouette before the moon.

Gone to the world, Angela continued to glide as if on auto pilot until the breeze finally died. She dropped altitude, slowly at first while the winds still struggled to pick her up, then, when the winds stopped, she dropped.

Angela's body circled down, tumbling through altitude toward a farm house with glowing windows, but she could also crash in the field beyond.

The gods of fate seemed apt to have her smash into the house where, inside, an unknown number of humans lurked. But a sudden breeze was enough to take Angela away from the house to collide into the nearby tree.

Motionless, the tree was where she came to a stop, near a derelict tree house. Lidless eyes blinked in the dark, from the tree house and below, watching the new arrival in silent fascination.

At the battle Goliath found himself running along the ground, a large hole already burned into his wing. His clan had been scattered and now he was being chased by two humans in black armed with heavy particle beam rifles.

Goliath had run long and hard constantly up and up elevation, his naked feet were soon crushing through snow and his upper body was crashing through pine trees; his hunters were ever gaining.

He came to the edge of a cliff that overlooked a steep drop and a forested valley, he looked back. The pursuing lithe forms were just yards away, crashing through the trees, one took a shot that nearly missed Goliath's ear.

He had one choice.

Goliath opened his wings and jumped, knowing he would not glide well, maybe not at all. He fell for soundless seconds, his body and internal organs seeming to float in space, he saw the rocky mountain side coming up to greet him and was certain he would meet it, and his bones would haunt those crevasses for all time. But, in an instant, what was left of his wings caught the wind, he slowly planed away from the place that would be his death.

The hunters arrived at the cliff side, the larger one aimed in at Goliath's slowly floating form; he could not miss and his finger quivered on the trigger.

The smaller one put his hand on the gun, stopping him.

"I had him! Why did you stop me?"

"Don't you remember the rules," the smaller one demanded.

"How would 'it' ever know I wasted a Gargoyle? It's not even here!"

"How did 'it' know how to find you? How did it know who you are? How did 'it' get you here? Maybe you should show some respect before 'it' gets pissed off and decides to punish both of us," the smaller hunter said.

"Whatever, it can't be everywhere at once," the larger hunter muttered as they walked away.

The Hunters returned to the group where they had Elisa in binders, one of the Poachers marched at them. "Dude!" He said with a severe gesture toward Elisa. "She's a cop!

The hunter said nothing and slung his rifle.

"We've gone too far this time! To shoot at and kidnap a cop!"

"Maybe if we let her go now they'll go easy on us!

"You are making sense," Elisa said. "Let me go now…"

The big hunter marched forward and slammed a fist against her gut; Elisa went down, sputtering on the cold, dry, earth.

"You hired me to come here and get rid of the wolves that threaten your herds," the smaller hunter said. "But who brought the wolves back in the first place?"

"The Feds did, but we are looking at serious prison time!"

"It's worse than that," the hunter replied. "The creatures that attacked us were Wendigos, they attack children, whether human or calf. This so called cop leads them, and because of her, they will be back."

The other Poachers gasped and spoke in alarmed tones.

"That's a lie," Elisa cried.

The Poachers were still gasping and talking loudly.

The big Hunter scooped Elisa from the ground, "we cannot afford to panic now or we will face more than time behind bars." He said to his group.

"What do we do," one asked.

"I'm taking the cop," the Hunter said. "And you will go home and do your best to pretend to live a normal, decent, life. While you are doing this you will gather all the weapons and ammo you can and we will meet again on Monday night."

"What will we do then?"

"Send the Government a powerful message about citizen's rights in regards to the insult of sending this cop and her creatures!"

**Angela….**

Strange slim creatures dressed in rags emerged from the tree house and seemingly from every shadow of the house and forest. They stared at the winged woman draped over two branches in the tree above them; they looked to each other.

"What are you doing!" A woman screamed as she rushed out the door and to where the kids were putting up a ladder into the tree; other adult and sub adult women stood at the door and watched in stunned silence.

"Look, Aunt Stephanie," the starved human child pointed to the tree to where Angela rested. "An angel!"

Stephanie gasped at what she saw as the other women and teenage girls walked over to gawk as well.

"It doesn't look exactly like an Angel, it could be a demon," a fourteen year old girl commented.

"Whatever it is, we need to get it out of the tree before Uncle Jacob gets home," Stephanie said. "And we need to get it out of here… we may have to leave the house for this."

The others, adults, teenagers, and children shuddered at the thought.

"It's those kinds of words that got you sent here to the punishment ranch in the first place, Stephanie!" Another woman cried. "We need to let the men take care of this!"

"If we do nothing, what do you think Jacob is going to do? Or if the Guard Boys catch her? Do you want to see her tossed in the cesspool? What will we do when others like this creature come looking for her when she does not return? And what do you think will happen to us when we are caught up in the battle? What will we do when the police arrive?" Stephanie asked, and then commented under her breath. "There are much better uses for a Gargoyle…"

The women around Stephanie gulped and consent was granted. They worked together, nearly fifty of them on the ladder bringing Angela, hand by hand, to the ground. They then brought her to a crumbling barn at the edge of the property, the one place where they knew Jacob or the Guard Boys were not likely to search.

The door fell off when they pulled on it, rats, mice, and other creatures scattered at the introduction of moon light. A work bench was there, just enough room surrounded by the collapsing roof where an owl watched with his big, wise, eyes.

They rushed Angela in and cleared the dirt, turds, and dust from the bench and put the Gargoyle on it.

"It's still alive," Stephanie said while checking Angela's wrist, neck and chest. "The question is if it's permanently damaged… Then the others will come and I'm sunk…"

"What was that, Sister Stephanie," the fourteen year old asked.

"What happened…" Angela groaned.

"Headlights!" One of the kids cried.

"Get back to the house, now!" Stephanie screamed and in a second, the barn was cleared except for a stirring Angela. Stephanie remained for a moment, frowning as she looked down on the fallen Gargoyle. She eventually and slowly walked away, back into the house.

Angela groaned and rolled off the bench, the hard impact was enough to jolt her back to reality. "What! Where am I!" She jumped and saw that she was in a bizarre crushed barn. She cradled her head in her arms which brought a silver spike of pain.

She stumbled forward and found a dust encrusted mirror, she wiped a swath through it. Able to see herself she lifted a lock of silky black hair and saw the source of her pain, the mother of all welts, purple, black, and red.

Another bolt of pain caused her to double over and shake; as much as it hurt she knew she would survive without permanent injury. She had sketchy memories of what had happened to her, but remembered that particle beam weaponry had to be set for the size of the prey, or something like that. She supposed she survived because the weapon was set for smaller woodland creatures. Yeah, that explanation will do, for now…

She heard voices.

First she hoped that it was Goliath and Elisa, but glancing out the fallen door, she knew she was not in Avalon anymore.

A truck blazed headlights and heavily armed young warriors tumbled out and marched into the house all while talking loudly, joyously.

Angela pulled her head back and crouched behind an ancient band saw, her head was still breaking out in pain and her vision was coming and going. It was an easy guess that if she tried to fly she would just fall down and make easy prey for these humans; she would make an easy target on foot as well.

The headlights blinked off and the humans tumbled into the house where she could hear voices. Angela looked around, there was only one way out and that was through the gaping doorway of this crushed barn.

She hid behind the heavy steel of the saw, she supposed the sensible choice was to wait here, wait for rescue, but she did not like that idea. She may not be able to fly, and barely walk, but if she stayed and one of those men came she would be cornered in here.

She pulled herself up and slowly felt her way outside, at least in the open she had a place to run should the enemy come.

But, as she crept to the trees she still heard the many voices inside the house and stopped. She had never seen modern humans in their abodes and was curious. Though the plaintiff moon and stars seemed to warn her, she tip toed to the nearest blazing window and peeked in.

Inside the house was rundown and scattered with trash, but it was remarkably full, before her two men and three boys sat at the table while women, girls, and other children rushed about behind them at various tasks.

"…damn Federal Government's getting in our way again, but the Hunter knows how to deal with them," a clean shaven man with glasses and a crew cut said. "Get all the guns and ammo we have, chop chop! The Government will regret their interference this time!"

The women and children piled assault rifles, shotguns, handguns, knives, and the ammo to use them all on the table before the men.

The man stood and looked through the weapons, "where is the .44?"

None of the women or children answered him as they were busy gathering weapons and making dinner.

"Where is the .44! The ammo's here, but not the gun!" He screamed.

"I do not know, Uncle Jacob," a child scurried by.

Uncle Jacob's face when from red, to crimson, to purple, finally he grabbed the nearest teenage girl and yanked her over. "Where the FUCK is the .44!"

"I don't know," she said.

It began…

He threw her against the hot stove and then yanked her off. Jacob grabbed the nearest thing that could be used as a weapon; that was a revolver.

Angela could not see what was happening but could see the pistol rising and falling in murderous arcs, she could hear the sound of the weapon slamming against her ribs and the reverb her lungs made from the impacts.

Angela never felt such rage and her body showed it, her eyes blazed crimson, her wings shot out, her teeth shown, and every lean muscle popped, a thought somewhere in her rage clouded mind wondered if this was how Demona felt every time she experienced a human atrocity.

Barely aware of what she was doing, she was charging for the front door. She was not sure if she was going to scare these men, beat them, or kill them.

Angela would not get that chance, the front porch was crowded with children who stood in her way. Angela was not about to rip her way through these innocents, so her rage cooled.

Their eyes looked down on her, boring through her, they were portholes to somewhere dark, prematurely aged after being through hell long before they were old enough to deal with it.

"Thank God for remembering us by sending you," one of the children said. "But even God can't help us here."

"Stand aside," Angela said. "I'll show them God's love, Old Testament style."

But another emerged from the house, a thin woman with dirty blond hair and equally exhausted eyes. "Come inside or you will miss the prayer," Stephanie said to the children and they filed inside.

The human and the Gargoyle faced each other.

"I'm not sure what you are," Stephanie said. "But you can't help them."

"Stand aside and I will help by making that man feel your pain," Angela said.

"Then what," Stephanie asked. "You attack and beat him to an inch of his life? Then the paramedics from town will have to be called. When they get here not only will we have to explain that an Angel beat this man up, but they will realize what kind of place this is. The Government will take away the children and put them up in foster homes, their mothers will never see them again. They will see prison time in order to punish men like Jacob and the cult leaders that put us here."

Angela stood in silence, feeling the hopelessness of the situation.

Another woman rushed out and grabbed Stephanie, "they're starting the prayer, you need to get in here now!"

"Goodbye, Angel," Stephanie said. "It is time for you to leave. Take yourself and the others that are sure to be near and do not come back." and Angela was left alone.

Sad, defeated, Angela walked back to the window and looked inside. In the kitchen Jacob, Stephanie, and the entire clan were kneeling as the bloodied and beaten woman led the prayer. "I ask god to forgive me for misleading Brother Jacob and refusing his command…" she began.

Angela couldn't watch anymore, instead she walked in the thick nearby forest that touched the walls of the compound. She worried about the rest of her clan but knew that this strange family was the reason why Avalon sent her here.


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2, The Game…

Goliath blasted from his stone sleep and found his wing healed, but that may have been the only improvement in his situation. Now he was looking down on a creepy little doll holding a gray personal tape recorder.

**Elisa….**

Elisa awoke to find herself naked from the waist up and the two 'hunters' working feverishly on a strange device hooked into her body, behind them a red digital clock was counting down to one.

"Wha…" Elisa began. "Who are you… Where are my clothes…"

"We're done! Put in the tape!"

Elisa was coming to when they rushed to an ancient RCA and pushed in the tape just as the counter ticked to zero. A metal collar popped off the smaller hunter's neck and clanged to the gray concrete floor.

"But I did what you said *ulp*…," the larger hunter reached for his neck as his face went from rosy, to crimson, to purple.

Static crackled on the ancient television screen, then a bizarre doll's face appeared, looking in the direction of the hunters, "Terrence McElroy, you were given the chance to atone for years of poaching by herding the Gargoyles to their test locations, conditions of your game were that you would see the world's most exotic creatures and yet you would not harm them. You were warned."

Elisa and the remaining Hunter screamed as the constricting metal band cut through the man's neck and his head popped off with a cascade of blood. His hands reached out for his lost head as he toppled, his body shivered as it hit the floor.

The doll's head still looked in the direction of the Hunters, the remaining one now clutched the wall as her chest heaved and fell in great panic breaths.

"Annie Bradshaw," the puppet said. "You have completed the first part of your game. Instructions are on the table upstairs for the second. You may continue your downward spiral into shame and degradation or remain here where this room will be your tomb… yet you'll be remembered forever as a hero. Live or die, make your choice."

Annie gave Elisa a final look before charging up the stairs.

Finally that terrible puppet face turned on Elisa, "Elisa Maza, your friends have given you everything you could ever possibly want, and yet you burn them with your secrets… I want to play a game. Wired onto your chest is a new secret for you to keep, one liter of slow mixing napalm which may, or may not, be mixing as we speak.

Should your heart rate stop, you go out of the broadcast range, if the mixture is exposed to oxygen, it will ignite and burn at two thousand degrees, incinerating yourself and anyone around you in seconds.

But I also have a secret, only I know if the device is actually armed, only I know if you are a living bomb or if this is just a bluff so you can feel what your friends feel.

When this tape ends the room will start to fill with sub-freezing water and in sixty seconds the door will shut, sealing you in forever. Fortunately water conducts temperature faster than air and hypothermia kills so quickly, your end will be mercifully short. Winning this game is easy, remain in this room and die the way you lived, frozen by your need for secrecy and isolation. Or escape and go out in a blaze of infamy. Make your decision."

Elisa gasped when water began to dump from the air vents, she instantly jumped from her seat. Doing that, however, pulled a pin that started the timer at sixty seconds.

She grabbed her shirt and jacket and ran for the same stairwell that Annie had taken earlier and could see an open door at the top, but she hesitated. She took a second to study the two metal cylinders hooked to the skin under her breasts which may, or may not, be filled with napalm. As water sloshed, already up to her knees, she wondered if the tape was right and she should stay, she knew how Goliath would react if he found out about this….

The timer hit the halfway mark and more vents opened, dumping freezing water. It was already up to her shoulders with electrical appliances exploding when she ran for the top, barely jumping through when the door slammed and iron bars locked the room forever.

**Goliath….**

He was curious and nothing could stop his hand as it closed around the recorder and pressed the play button.

"You have two defining characteristics, Goliath. Your reliance on your friends and your steadfast black and white view on justice, I want to play a game. You have always seen yourself as doing the right thing, as a protector, but see what I see. I see a man who alienates those he relies on and hurts them time and time again by letting your, and their, enemies go free.

On the puppet you will find a picture, this is Annie Bradshaw and this woman is your worst case scenario. She was once a protector, a guardian as you are now, an activist who once protected what few natural wonders this world has left. Now she has become a shadow of her former self, a murderer and a terrorist wiling to sink to any depths to achieve her goals.

The objective of your game is to end her downward slide. You have no time limit, but be warned. The longer you let her live the more harm she will bring to your friends, given enough time she will kill them and eventually, yourself. Continue to see in black and white or finally accept that true justice is a shade of gray, make your choice. You will find Annie at the Gardiner Community Center plotting with accomplices to murder Park Rangers and other law enforcement officials. No matter what, you must not let her go. End her shame, Goliath, and your friends will survive."

Goliath's eyes burned white and he crushed tape player.

**Angela…..**

Angela had not gone far from the decrepit house and the strange people inside, just far enough to where she thought she would not be found during the day. But she had been found. When she woke she found a recorder with the image of a strange puppet in her hand.

"Hello Angela and welcome, you have only known victory the way you have only known life, tonight you will be tested by defeat" the intimidating voice on the recorder said. "Congratulations, you have found the Michael's Sword Punishment Ranch, an institute long searched for by the FBI and other organizations. This is a dumping ground of a local cult for members who are… not getting with the program. However, as you see victims, see what I see. Every so called prisoner at this ranch has been heavily involved in criminal activity, from embezzlement, to drug trafficking, to slave labor, to recruiting more victims to this perversion of religion. All here have secrets.

Where you see victims, I see victimizers, criminals that must be tested.

I want to play a game. Your game is simple: accept defeat and walk away. You have already learned that you can't save these people and you are endangering them and yourself by staying. So climb a tree and glide away, follow the river south and you will find the town of Gardiner. Wait there for two days and two nights and you will find that the game has played itself out and everything is for the better. Or remain, look under the band saw and find a tool that will better serve your view of absolutes and start these prisoners, and yourself, on another game.

Can you learn to redefine defeat? Can you learn that victory and justice can be as subjective as the people you think you understand? Or will you and your family die?"

The tape was over and Angela stared at its player, she wondered if this was some sort of joke. Maybe a jest played on her by the people who stayed here, but she doubted that. She walked across the open field in the dying post dusk light and into the collapsing barn. There she picked up the band saw and moved it aside, under it she found the missing .44.

Angela picked up the human weapon and opened its cylinder and found that it was fully loaded. A post it note was taped to the barrel which read, "only they can free themselves."


	3. Chapter 3

Part 3, End Game…..

Goliath followed the river and found the little town of Gardiner at the stone arch entrance of Yellowstone National park. It was a weekend night in late spring and the town that had once boasted a population of two hundred people and twenty saloons was already rocking. With all the people and cars that were crowding the narrow streets Goliath didn't think he would find Annie or the Community Center.

However, like so many villains in his life, those the gamemaster Puppet had accused him of letting free to cause trouble again later, Annie was all too easy to find. She was with the other poachers filling up their vehicles at the local Exxon station.

Goliath landed on the tall building across the street and watched. He was surprised that upon seeing this woman in the flesh, that he knew her from before. She had served on Xanatos's security detail along with Bruno, she had been there during Goliath's first night in this new world, attacking him and helping Xanatos to deceive him.

He would face her and the Xanatos Goon Squad many times after and he had always been victorious, but he had always let her go and she had indeed come back to cause trouble. Now he had to murder her, if he didn't Angela, Elisa, and Bronx would be harmed or killed… that was what the tape had told him anyway.

At the moment Goliath didn't want to kill her, he wanted whoever had made the tape and forced him into this situation. Whoever was behind the Puppet knew him well, knew him very well. He knew that Goliath had never killed anyone who hadn't crossed him. In fact, he had never killed anyone outside of a battle where the victim wasn't wielding a weapon that could take his life. Even then, he hadn't killed many, and rarely on purpose.

This truly would be a test because Goliath wasn't sure he could commit a contrived murder; but he had to…

Annie and the other poachers climbed into their vehicles and drove off, Goliath followed by air. They only went a few streets before pulling over at a building with stone eagles guarding.

Again Goliath had his chance to accomplish his mission, Annie was out, in the open, he could swoop down and take her and no one would believe the others' story about how a monster stole their leader.

Goliath missed his opportunity as they filed inside, his game would continue.

**Elisa…**

Before putting on her shirt she inspected the damage, just as the tape said two cylinders were surgically anchored into her flesh. Whoever this perp was, he had hooked red and blue cylinders into her dermis with only a little irritated flesh around the bases. Probably, the surgeon ran fuel hoses between the cylinders making removal tricky, if not impossible. Whoever owned the puppet, he was a medical expert. Although it might ruin the look of her skin to remove the bombs, at the moment they caused her no pain.

Elisa sighed and pulled on her black shirt and her red jacket, the bombs were almost invisible under her clothing.

"Great," she muttered. Whoever had done this had transformed her into a living bomb. If it was indeed armed she could go off at any moment and whoever was around her would never know… and that was the point, she supposed, to be a living landmine, but why?

She wondered which one of the clan's enemies could do such a thing, Severius maybe, Xanatos more likely, perhaps even Puck, but why would any of them test her as opposed to simply killing her? What did they hope to accomplish? She glanced up.

Written in red around the room was 'time is not on your side,' and Elisa supposed the message was for herself and Annie; both were on new schedules from the Puppet.

Elisa shook her head and went for the glass sliding door, taped there were several pamphlets and the message, 'welcome to Yellowstone! Enjoy your working vacation and transformation."

Elisa opened a map, a small square was highlighted at the north entrance of the park with the message, 'lifeline,' written underneath. Elisa supposed that was as far as she could go without becoming extra crispy.

Another map had been custom made and it was exclusively of the square lifeline. Several locations were highlighted and circled with little messages scribbled underneath. Elisa read the messages, but not for content, she was trying to recognize the handwriting; she didn't.

At the bottom of the map was scrawled, "time is running out."

Elisa felt water splash against her feet, and saw that the freezing liquid was gushing out from the space at the bottom of the door; the map was right, it was time to leave.

**Angela…..**

Angela stared at the gun in her taloned hand, a human invention that was more powerful than many forms of magic. She knew this talisman's power, plenty had been shot at her since she had left Avalon on this strange worldwide adventure. Now, she possessed one and with it she could end the man named Jacob and the others who held these people hostage.

She tore off the post it note.

But Angela was troubled, the tape had told her to do so many things and none included shooting Jacob and the other men, in fact, the tape had told her to accept defeat and escape.

Angela looked to the sky, still bright and glowing blue as the sun was just below the horizon. She supposed she should find her clan and reorganize, together they could bust this cult wide open.

But as she looked the prisoners returned from the fields, filing in groups back into the house, also a truck full of armed young men rolled up and stopped in a cloud of dust. The men got out, slung their rifles, leashed their dogs, and entered the should be condemned building, they were not thin or emaciated like the women and children they guarded; but they certainly were heavily armed.

Angela saw Stephanie walk past the barn door with a small cloud of children following. Angela grabbed the young woman and dragged her inside, the children obediently followed.

"You're still here! I told you to leave," Stephanie cried.

"I'm going to go," Angela said. "And I am going to take you with me."

"Ah!" Stephanie cried and pulled her hand away. "I already told you why I can't!"

"You don't have to go to the authorities," Angela said. "You can make a new life with your children anywhere."

"Maybe we should listen to her," a child said.

"I said 'no'," Stephanie said. "I already told you why you cannot save us, monster. The men in there are not armed with squirt guns but AK's and body armor. Even if you get past them a hundred more are only fifteen minutes away. Even if we escape we will never get away, the cult hires men to hunt and kill anyone who tries to escape, it's all they do and they do it well. We may be free for years, but they will eventually catch up, they will kill us, and the cops will never know, or care, who did it."

"You're wrong," Angela cried.

"They've done this dozens of times before. This is your final warning, escape before it's too late," Stephanie said.

"I'm not exactly a pushover," Angela said and drew the gun. "Perhaps I am the one to be feared, not untrained would be warriors from a cult."

Stephanie eyed up the gun, and then Angela, she eventually smiled

"How do I get in that house undetected," Angela asked. "I can kill your captors and we can escape. Freedom is only miles away."

"Okay," Stephanie said and stepped out the door and pointed at the house. "There is a small window in the basement. I'll open it for you and you can slide in. After, we can ambush Jacob and the Guard Boys. But, I think you should go, at least to find help, you are strongest in groups."

"I can handle this myself," Angela said.

"Okay," Stephanie said. "You have to stay here for now and I'll signal you from the basement window when it is open. The basement is off limits so it will be hard to find an excuse to get down there. This may take a while."

"I'll wait," Angela said.

Stephanie nodded, "I'll see you soon."

**Goliath….**

Goliath listened in on the meeting Annie was giving and sure enough the tape was right. With the poachers Goliath had the misfortune of meeting last night, Annie was planning a terrorist strike on the nearby national park. The poachers were made up of ranchers who were afraid the reintroduction of the wolf would bankrupt them, and now, thanks to Annie capitalizing on their fears, they were considering so much more than just poaching or murder.

Annie planned to fill their vehicles with explosives and place them near various park facilities. At high noon tomorrow the bombs would go off, destroying the complexes and most of the government workers inside. The Poachers would wait out front with automatic weapons and body armor to maximize the casualties. Apparently it would be the spree shooting to end all spree shootings, making Columbine and Red Lake look like Kindergarten stuff.

When one tried to object, Annie dropped a bomb shell. She said the night before they had kidnapped a police officer and if she went down, they all would for the officer's abduction and eventual murder. So since they were already screwed, they might as well send the United States Government a powerful message.

Goliath hoped Annie was not talking about Elisa.

The meeting went on with Annie now talking about reorganizing at a 'fortified position' to gather allies… Goliath knew he would have to act soon or the tape would go from being correct to becoming prophetic.

** Elisa….**

Elisa hitched a ride from a nice family out of Connecticut who were heading into Yellowstone for the week. This road would pass through the small town of Gardiner which had been marked on the strange map as being 'Goliath's Test.'

But Elisa wasn't going there, at least not yet.

She was sick with worry for Goliath, who knew what was happening to him and the rest of the clan in small town? What if he was in desperate need for her and if she did not make it there soon, he would die?

But Elisa had to follow her instincts, she always had and they never let her down. She had to follow the tape's cryptic instructions as well as she could… and the tape had been very clear that if she interacted with the clan, she would kill all of them.

Instead Elisa asked to be dropped off near another point on the map, the one marked 'final test.' This, however, was indicated on the map as a circle in the middle of an empty field, it was easy to guess that something was hidden there.

**Angela…**

Angela had been waiting for a while now, hours had passed since she had seen Stephanie and she was starting to get worried. Had the human woman been caught, or was she just unable to get to the basement?

Angela looked away from the house and opened the pistol again to study the rounds. The confidence this weapon had inspired her with earlier seemed to be fading as there were only six bullets in the cylinder. She would have to be accurate with all of them if she hoped to free the women and children. Once out of ammo she would be in their fortress and on their terms, even her Gargoyle strength would account for nothing against cramped space and automatic weapons.

She looked to the woods and knew she would have to withdraw, she would have to gather reinforcements if she hoped to win here. Just as the tape said, she would have to face defeat and the people trapped here would have to free themselves.

But they needed her, if she left these people could vanish to another location and she would never find them again. Their torture would continue, forever, and it would be hard for Angela to live her with herself after such a failure.

But then, when she looked back, she saw the basement window was open and a white shirt was tied to the handle, she could see nothing else.

Angela hesitated, she had all but changed her mind, she was ready to take off, to do the sensible thing, but the opportunity was there. She looked to the gun, what the gun would start her fists and talons would finish, she hoped. She put the weapon back in her belt and crept to the open window.

No sign of Stephanie and no lights were on inside, Angela again hesitated, remembering Goliath's words instead of the tape's. He had always said that true strength came from friendship and not muscle, or something like that. Also, someone had once said 'you don't have to be Stonewall Jackson to know you don't fight in a basement.'

She glanced to the window above her, knowing that inside there were two dozen children that needed rescue and Gargoyles, above all, protected. She pushed head first through the window and oozed into the basement.

Once there she noticed the smell and felt around for a light, she found a string hanging from the rafters and pulled.

She dropped the pistol and instantly vomited at the sight she beheld. In the basement was a graveyard with a rapidly putrefying corpse of a child lying on a table, waiting for burial along with the others. Angela fell to her knees, looking for her senses, looking for the gun, trying to find her way out.

The window slapped shut behind her.

Angela jumped up, her senses had returned in a rush but it was already too late. The door to the basement opened and in clattered a pair of grenades that gushed green smoke.

**Goliath….**

Goliath was flying again, heading out into the middle of nowhere and following Annie and the poachers; they were heading to that 'fortified position' she was talking about earlier.

Goliath knew he had to act now, if the fortress was anything like Annie described it, then it would be impossible to breech once she was inside.

He knew what vehicle she was in and it was matter of diving down and taking her.

The line of cars he was following slowed to a stop to take another country road, it was time.

He dove to the lead car and slammed on its top, trying to tear it open.

"Wendigo!" Someone screamed and the night was alive with gunfire, Goliath could see and hear the rounds passing near. Tearing the top open wasn't working so he jumped down and ripped the door off and threw the driver out.

There she was, in the passenger seat with a big pistol drawn on him. When he reached for her the big gun went off and he could feel the punch of the bullet hitting his abdomen.

He tore her out of her seat, seat belt and all, another couple of rounds hit his back and leg as he escaped. Goliath with his prisoner dashed across the road and into a ditch, he quickly scaled a tree and got away.

He was hurting from the wounds he suffered and hoped that taking her would somehow diffuse the situation. Far away now he looked back and was happily surprised that the would be terrorists were turning their vehicles around and going back to Gardiner. It appeared the attack they had been planning would be twenty men weaker now that Annie was in his possession.

Goliath looked to his struggling prisoner, he supposed it was time to drop her.

**Angela…..**

Angela woke and roared when she found herself in chains within the only gap between the graves. She saw Stephanie standing before her with two men in gasmasks and fearsome appearing rifles.

"Stephanie, you were caught, I'm sorry…"

"I wouldn't apologize," Stephanie said.

"Stephanie?" Angela asked.

"Yes, that is the name I use now," Stephanie said. "I asked you to leave, I begged you! And you wouldn't listen."

"What are you talking about?"

"This is my Ranch, Angela," Stephanie said. "I am in charge here."

"You are responsible for this atrocity! How is that possible? You are a prisoner, like them!"

"I'm not responsible for it, I run it, I have to," Stephanie said.

"You don't have to do anything!" Angela screamed.

"Kinda like you didn't have to come in here," Stephanie screamed back. "I asked you to leave, to get your friends, the moment you were gone I would have moved my prisoners. But you had to insist and now we're here and you forced what I have to do next."

"They have a spell over you," Angela said. "It's not too late! I can help you, all of you! Fight them!"

"Angela," Stephanie fell to one knee and looked into her eyes. "I embezzled from the Illuminati, that's how I ended up here. I thought I was cleverer than they and the money was worth it, or seemed to be. Now, running a cult's death camp is the only place where I can find safety from Illuminati assassins. Maybe the Illuminati can't find me, maybe they're afraid of a battle with the cult, maybe this existence seems worse than death to them, but somehow I have survived here for ten years. But it's worth it, the life sentences I will get for the deaths of these children will be nothing compared to what the Illuminati will do if they capture me."

Stephanie stood and began to walk out with her guards.

"What will you do," Angela asked.

"What do you think," Stephanie said. "I've called in the cult and they will come to witness your torture and execution. They will know that no one, not even angels, can save them from the fate they have chosen for themselves. Enjoy your remaining time, relax yourself, later I have to make a real show, your torture is going to take hours and your death will be drawn out. Goodbye Angel."

**Elisa….**

Elisa cut through brutal country from the highway and was not terribly surprised to find a ranch well hidden in a closely planted forest.

In the glow of the house lights Elisa checked the map, it featured every ranch, farm, and compound from here to Bozeman and this building was not recorded. Obviously it was hidden for a reason and that reason was the test for a human and three Gargoyles. Whatever the gamemaster wanted, it was here.

Elisa, foot by foot, pushed through into the trees, struggling not to make a noise until she was hidden by branches near a window and looked inside.

It was early in the morning, pushing three AM, but inside dozens of people and children were running around like there was some sort of party going on. The house was in godaweful condition, some rooms were filled with bags of garbage, and others had blankets on the floor for dozens to sleep.

Then a man stepped out the front door and he was armed like a Soviet tank, an AK47, body armor, and a helmet that was probably field rated and could stop anything short of high velocity rifle round. In an instant he ducked back inside.

"Swell," Elisa said. She realized that she had stumbled on to an anti-tax group or a separatist movement. Normally this and seeing a man better armed than a Steelclan robot was nature's way of saying 'keep walking,' but this place was highlighted on the map. Whoever was running the puppet and throwing this party wanted her here and since she was a living bomb she had no reason not to snoop around and find out what the Puppet's endgame entailed.

She would have to work quickly, however, she had four hours before sunlight but that was a relatively short amount of time when it was an hour hike back to the road.

**Goliath….**

He landed with his prisoner on a nearby mountain side, threw her around so she faced away from him, and extended his claws. He would rip her throat out and she would be dead before she knew it and his friends would be safe.

He watched her rapidly expanding and deflating back as he was about to do it, about to kill this girl, when he stopped himself.

"Annie," Goliath said and took a step back, thinking about the puppet and the tape.

"Goliath, I never thought I'd see you again," she said.

"I want to play a game," Goliath said and drew the pistol that he had captured from her earlier.

Annie got up and looked at him as he took her hand and slapped the weapon in it. "What are you doing?" She demanded.

Goliath took a few steps back and fell to his knees, arms out. "I said: I want to play a game. You were once a champion of nature, one of its great heroes, you would do anything to guard and protect what little natural wonder we have left. Now you have become a shadow of yourself, a terrorist and a mercenary, planning to destroy one of the few organizations set up to watch over what makes this land truly unique."

Annie looked at the gun then at Goliath.

"If you want to continue down that road, all you have to do is kill me, a member of the most endangered species on earth. Who knows, my death may just be enough to plunge my species into extinction," Goliath said. "Then you will be free to destroy Yellowstone and all the endangered species there."

"I shot you in the square in the chest and it barely annoyed you," Annie said.

"You shot me in the abdomen," Goliath said. "But with a weapon of that power a bullet to my head should do it."

"Alright," she smiled and raised the weapon, aiming in on Goliath's right eye. "When you get to hell, remember that you asked me to send you there."

"That's the game," Goliath said and bowed his head.

She smiled and aimed, but a moment passed, she then let the weapon fall to her hip. "I guess it was easier to shoot at you when you were fighting back."

Goliath stood and took her weapon back, "I hope this is a new beginning for you. Mother Earth needs a guardian, but you must always remember that 'ends never justify the means.'"

"Well, maybe it's 'you' that you need to be thinking about," Annie said. "The cult I've allied with has captured one of your clan, they're planning to execute her in front of the entire cult as some sort of demonstration of their power."

"Where are they!" Goliath demanded.

She pointed and Goliath jumped from the mountain and flew with more urgency than ever.

Elisa looked into the basement window and saw Angela chained amongst the graves, she also saw the green body of the child on the table. Elisa sneered and reminded herself to be calm, if she and Angela survived this she could call in the police and these people would be gone for a long, long, time.

Elisa carefully opened the window and slipped inside, there she crawled across the molding graves of children. She then tapped on Angela's leg, Angela jumped, her tear stained face turned to Elisa.

"Elisa," Angela sobbed.

Elisa put a finger to her lips, meaning for the gargress to remain silent. Elisa then looked to Angela's chains.

Elisa deflated, Angela was hooked neck, wrists, and ankles with chromed steel to a metal pipe at the wall. Elisa wasn't sure how she was going to get Angela out of this one. She felt the canisters at her abdomen, they would burn at two thousand degrees, enough to take out herself and Angela in miliseconds and this entire house in minutes.

Elisa sighed and sat next to Angela, "I'm not sure how to get you out of this."

"Elisa, there has to be a way," Angela sobbed.

"There is a way," Elisa said and lifted her shirt to show the bomb. "I've been transformed into a human bomb, I can at least save you from torture, if I can't get you out of those chains. It will at least be our fallback plan."

"Then that's what we'll do," Angela said. "There is a woman calling herself Stephanie, she is pretending to be a prisoner here and may have the key to free me. Look for a woman with dirty blond hair. Even if she does not have the key, you cannot let her escape, she runs this place and is responsible for this!"

Elisa nodded and slipped to the stairs and started creeping her way up. She was glad the door was unlocked and cracked it open, outside she could see so many people running around like rats. They were distracted, but it would be impossible to sneak past all of them, especially since she did not know where Stephanie was.

Elisa stepped out as much as she dared and watched all the people and warriors running about, but it was hard to tell, most were emaciated and dressed in rags with dirty blondish hair.

But one caught her attention, the one on the phone, the one with dirty blond hair.

"What do you mean 'they're not coming,'" the woman at the phone cried. "Wendigos!"

Elisa roared out of her hiding place and jump kicked the woman, her 'oh shit' look at the last moment was priceless. Because of the poor condition of the house, Stephanie almost went completely through the damn wall.

But the seemingly emaciated woman came roaring back, slugging Elisa in the face, and while Elisa was dazed, picked her up with in a fireman's carry and threw her on the table. The table collapsed, leaving Elisa clutching her head.

"What do you want me to do," Uncle Jacob asked, AK in hand.

"Watch the door for more company, this one's mine," Stephanie said.

Elisa jumped and grabbed the woman's ankle, sending her flying to hit her head hard on the rotted linoleum. But that didn't see to daze her, she was up and threw Elisa toward the confused children.

Stephanie rushed to the kitchen counter and drew a knife, "I don't know who you are or where you came from, but a slit throat is always so satisfying."

Elisa stood, brushed herself off, "then come get some."

Stephanie smiled and charged and Elisa dove, dropping her to the filthy shag rug. The woman tried to stand, but Elisa kicked her face. "Ha! You were tougher without the knife."

Stephanie stood, half her face bruised and her nose now hung crooked. "Jacob, shoot her!"

Jacob cocked the AK and stepped up, now in his battle gear he would be impossible to defeat. Elisa stood, waiting to feel the caress of the bullet and then the flames that would be soon to come afterward. At least Angela's torment and the horror of this place would be erased forever.

Instead the front door and most of the front of the house exploded! And there was Goliath wearing the scariest face you ever pissed your pants to.

Jacob hesitated and Goliath threw him through the kitchen window. "Elisa!"

"Goliath! She has the key we need to save Angela," Elisa cried and pointed at 'Stephanie.'

Goliath roared and charged, ripping the clothes off the woman and there it was, around her neck, a little silver key. Also, her breasts were plump and her body viciously fit and muscular for a starving woman under threat of torture, her 'Stephanie' act was just that, an act.

"Angela's in the basement," Elisa cried.

Goliath literally threw 'Stephanie' aside and the naked woman slammed into a wall, to fall limp on the floor. Goliath then punched through the floor and ripped it open, revealing Angela chained in the basement.

"Father," Angela sobbed as he slapped down on the cold concrete before her. With the small key he tried to unlock the chains, but there were so many locks. Also, Golaith's vision was parting and coming back together, breaking out in spots, he was feeling weak from blood loss.

The chains were coming off, but it was taking way too much time.

Upstairs, Elisa slowly approached Stephanie, she knew the woman was tricky but had to secure her as fast as possible.

"Be careful," one of the children said, distracting Elisa. The captive children and women were gathered at the entrance to the kitchen to watch the scene. "She's the devil, she's very strong."

Elisa was distracted too long by this macabre gathering. She gasped when the window near Stephanie's body exploded, a kid with a sawed off shotgun leaned in.

"Move!" Elisa screamed and leaped, grappling the children aside. The kid with the gun fired, splattering the wall behind them with buckshot.

The front door burst open and armed boys rushed in.

"Hurry," the children took Elisa's hand and rushed her to a closet. They opened the door and moved a hidden panel aside. "They'll punish you! Get in!"

Elisa glanced at the kids and knew she had little choice. She got in and the panel slid shut, plunging her into darkness. Inside she could only knock her head against the wall, Elisa was out of moves and this was the only way she could punish herself.

Goliath freed Angela just in time when a pair of boys opened fire on them from the floor above. Goliath roared, and slammed his fist against the rafters and a part of the floor collapsed, taking the boys down in a pile of rubble.

That was it for Goliath, he was dizzy, weak, he fell into Angela's arms.

"Father!" Angela screamed as her hands were covered in blood.

She pulled him under the whole part of the basement, the only place where they could not be hit by the assailants above.

Upstairs Stephanie returned while wearing a canvas bag and carrying a big pistol. She rushed back to where she battled Elisa, and ducked into the house's hallways, but Elisa was gone. She turned to the captured women and children and said, "where is she?"

"Where is who," one of the girls asked.

Stephanie smashed that girl in the face with the pistol, dropping her. "I'll be back, and when I am that woman better be here."

Stephanie marched to the hole in the floor and looked into it, she saw the graves, but she could not see the Gargoyles. One of her Guard Boys sprayed rounds into the hole, doing nothing but impacting craters into the concrete.

"Enough," Steph said to him. "It's been an interesting night," she called down to the Gargoyles.

Angela glanced up, knowing that there was precious little time before sun up.

"Well, young Gargoyle," Stephanie said. "Seems that god does love you, because I'm willing to offer you a deal. I could have my boys rock the basement with bullets and grenades until sun up when I could take you anyway. Or you could surrender now and I promise that you will be well cared for until I turn you over and I will let your human friend go, alive."

"Turn us over to whom!" Angela cried.

"The Illuminati, of course," Stephanie said. "As much as they want me they are not above bribery. Trading you and the big guy for a couple weeks head start is more than a deal for them."

"I'm supposed to trust the word of a child murderer," Angela screamed.

"Well, you can try charging out of here," Stephanie said. "That will be your only option soon, the sun is coming. We'll be waiting for you."

Angela sighed and sat heavily near her father, "everything is falling apart."

"You must not blame yourself," Goliath said. "Let me get my breath back, we'll get out of here!"

Angela wasn't sure if she wanted to entertain that fantasy, "if only I had listened to that terrible puppet."

Goliath perked, "you know of the gamemaster?"

"Is that what it calls itself," Angela asked. "I woke up near here with a recorder in my hand and an image of the puppet. It told me to walk away, and I would not listen."

"I completed my so called game," Goliath said. "And I still ended up here."

Angela stood, "did Elisa come here with you?"

"No," Goliath answered.

"But Elisa mentioned she had been turned into a human bomb, perhaps she had a run in with the gamemaster as well!" Angela slapped her fist in her hand, "the gamemaster has been guiding us this whole time! It wants us to break this terrible place. What was your test?"

"To stop the leader of the Poachers from coming here with her terrorists," Goliath said.

"If you hadn't then Stephanie would have led more warriors here, and we wouldn't have had a chance," Angela said.

"And we have a chance now," Goliath asked.

"We do!" Angela cried. "The tape told me that whether I walked away or not the people here have to free themselves!" Angela cupped her hands over her mouth. "Help! Oh god, help me! Take me home before the devil finds me."

"What are you doing," Stephanie asked with what was left of her guards flanking her. Behind them the prisoners had come out of hiding and were slowly walking up on their captors. The boy picked up the .44 and studied it in his hand before pointing it at Stephanie.

"Yes, what are you doing," Goliath asked Angela.

"I'm completing my game and getting us out of here alive! God has sent us to tell you that you must free yourself," Angela cried. "God cannot interfere! You must stand up against your captors! You must not let the Sadomites sacrifice an angel!"

"Stop that," Stephanie cried, she looked over her shoulder at the guards. "Get more grenades…!" She saw the prisoners had gathered behind her, the boy had the pistol, and they had taken Elisa out of her hiding place. Stephanie turned to regard them.

"What are you doing," she demanded.

The prisoners said nothing and the boy aimed the pistol at her; they advanced a few steps forward.

"You found the woman, good," Stephanie said. "Give me her and the gun and we are square, I'll forget this mutiny. I'll even throw in a few hours of TV time."

The prisoners advanced another couple of steps.

Stephanie whipped around, pistol in hand. The boy fired the revolver, its cannon like roar reverbed around the building's walls. He missed, he missed wide, but he resettled the pistol at Stephanie's face and his eyes said 'shoot.'

Elisa found an AK47 at her feet and pointed it at the woman and her guards, "put your weapons down!"

Slowly, they did and raised their hands in surrender.

"It's not enough," the boy said and cocked the weapon with a loud click.

Elisa sighed and let the assault weapon fall to her hip, she loathed to defend this woman, "if you kill her then you will be no better than she is."

The prisoners turned their exhausted eyes on the Detective, those eyes said 'this is all she has left us.'

"If you kill her, it will not be justice," Elisa said. "It may seem right, but her blood will forever be on your hands. If you can trust us, we can take you away from this place and you will recover. If you kill her, you will never leave and you will always be an animal."

The boy pointed the weapon at his captors, it quivered in his hand before he dropped it to his hip. He turned and handed the gun to Elisa who sighed and put it in her jacket pocket. "You deserved to he shot," Elisa said to the lady. "I bet the boy has real bad aim, and it would be nothing more than you deserve."

Angela rushed up and pinned the lying woman's arm behind her back, causing her to cry out. "It is your lucky night, fiend! I won't kill you, but I can't promise that life from here will be very pleasant."

With it over, they stood near the highway, waiting for the Sheriff to get there and clean up. They wrapped Stephanie in chain.

Just then, Bronx came rushing out of the darkness of whom his clan enthusiastically greeted, until they noticed another puppet doll taped so he was riding on his back, he wore a little Stetson hat. When Goliath took it off it laughed and held up a recorder.

Goliath hesitated, but pressed the play button anyway.

"Congratulations," the tape said. "You have passed the test."

Elisa heard a clang and the supposed napalm canisters fell off her body to lie impotently on the ground, it had been a bluff all along.

"To the victor goes the spoils…" the voice said and the doll's mouth opened, revealing three golden Illuminate pins and tickets to New York on a private jet.

"Illuminati," Goliath whispered as he took a pin.

"You passed the test, but have you learned anything," the tape went on. "It is time for your final game."

"We are through of your games," Goliath held the puppet and roared.

"The naked woman in your custody is number 10, named Alexi Snow," the tape continued. "Ten years ago she was an assistant accountant to the organization known as the Illuminati. During that time she took half a billion dollars and fled, a small amount of money that the organization was happy to ignore. However, she has used that money to become one of the most prolific criminal mastermind's in history. She bought her way to way to the top of the Michael's Sword organization and built it around protecting her body and money. She has also invested in a number of criminal organizations, including one that is very close to home. For the monster we created, the murder of children is only the tip of the stone.

When we learned that she was about to make a career change and a move, we knew it was time to move in while there was still a chance to take her down, however, we knew there was no way without declaring war on her cult. We needed a surgical strike, and so we lured you here and that is where your tests came in.

Now you have the woman, what will you do? Your old code of honor demands that you hand her over for human justice. Perhaps the judge and jury will see past her 'Stephanie' story of a young woman lured by a cult and see her as a Criminal Mistress worth at least ten billion dollars.

Or will you hand her over to us? Maybe the Illuminate has learned the price of greed and will grant her a punishment firmly set in the gray?

Or is there another answer?

You must choose, but be warned, if you have not learned your lesson you will see this woman again and then she will be far too powerful to counter."

Goliath and the others exchanged looks.

The next day a Lincoln Navigator rolled down the road to find Stephanie, still in her sack, chained to a power pole. Two men in expensive suits and Illuminate pins stepped out and stood before her.

"Alexi Snow," one greeted. "We've been looking for you for a long, long, time." He smiled.

The other picked up the doll and the recorder, and a post it note that said: 'play me.'

"Hello, Illuminati," Goliath's voice said. "We would like to play a game." He said as the people of the ranch stood from where they had been hiding in the dusty bushes. "Take care of these people, provide them everything they need, for the rest of their lives and we will not go to the press with the story of how an Illuminate accountant ran a cult death camp for over ten years. Now that we are Illuminate any newspaper in the country will print any story we offer."

The Illuminate agent frowned and looked at their new charges.


End file.
